France will travel to Australia eyeing a successful three-Test tour ahead of next year’s World Cup, coach Phillippe Saint-Andre said on Tuesday.
The French finished fourth in this year’s Six Nations with three victories in their five matches, but Saint-Andre was quick to proclaim his team as potential World Cup winners on English soil in 2015, having been runners-up in New Zealand in 2011.
The first step in that mission was a testing tour of Australia.
“Put simply, we have to win the matches,” said Saint-Andre who will announce his travelling squad today. “It’s the last tour before the World Cup so it will be important in that respect, for the team’s spirit. We’re going there with a lot of positivity, desire and hope.”
Saint-Andre said no motivation was needed.
“What better challenge exists? We’re going to one of the most beautiful countries in the world to play three Test matches in a sport that is not only the profession of the players but also their passion. It’s nothing but good,” said the former France captain.
“The Australians have made great progress. They have revamped their team since the 2011 World Cup.
“During the November internationals, they really showed off their capabilities.
“They went and won easily in Wales, Italy and Ireland. It will be a very high level but it is only by playing the best that you improve.”
Saint-Andre acknowledged that some of the players who would be in his best squad would not make the trip to Australia.
“Some will be rested,” he said. “I’ve had chats with some Top 14 coaches and some players really need a rest because they are a bit burnt out. They need to recuperate and, above all, must be able to have a real off-season before the upcoming World Cup year.
“But others have played 30-35 matches and have a massive desire to play for the France team.”
Saint-Andre said he had been buoyed by his team’s performance in the Six Nations, which ended with a 22-20 defeat by eventual champions Ireland.
“I was even more so happy given the huge numbers of ‘leaders’ who were missing or who we lost through injury in the tournament, such as Thierry Dusautoir, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Morgan Parra, Benjamin Kayser and Dimitri Szarzewski.
“The tournament was better than last year even if it wasn’t satisfying. There was a feeling of unfinished business, particularly with the last game.”
Saint-Andre dismissed any thoughts that his fate might mirror that of his predecessor, Marc Lievremont, who knew he would not be continuing as coach after the World Cup in 2011 when his France team defied expectations to reach the final, where they lost 8-7 to hosts New Zealand.
“No, I’ve put myself in World Cup mode,” said Saint-Andre. “I’ve still got 17 or 18 months. I have the enormous privilege of being able to experience a World Cup with the France team in England.
“I have no idea what I’ll be doing in November 2015 and that’s not a problem for me – I can do half a million different jobs.”
First up for Saint-Andre and his charges will be the Wallabies, with the three Tests to run on concurrent Saturdays starting June 7.
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SERIE A FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Roma v Udinese (5pm)
SPAL v Napoli (8pm)
Juventus v Torino (10.45pm)
Sunday
Sampdoria v AC Milan (2.30pm)
Inter Milan v Genoa (5pm)
Crotone v Benevento (5pm)
Verona v Lazio (5pm)
Cagliari v Chievo (5pm)
Sassuolo v Bologna (8pm)
Fiorentina v Atalanta (10.45pm)
Key Points
- Protests against President Omar Al Bashir enter their sixth day
- Reports of President Bashir's resignation and arrests of senior government officials
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Indika
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Company%20Profile
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The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
